Biggest Surprise Teams Through First Two Weeks

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We are still in the early stages of the football season, but there are a handful of teams that have been huge surprises through the first two weeks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here, we take a look at each of those teams, and break down what has fueled their hot start. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Osborne Cardinals</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For years, Osborne has been one of the doormats in Georgia High School Football. For the Cardinals, a 2 win season was considered a massive success. However, 2nd-year head coach Lugman Salam is starting to change that trend. For the first time in over 20 years, Osborne is 2-0, and they have won games convincingly. In week 1, they destroyed Woodstock 46-7 and then followed that up with a 42-13 rout of Chattahoochee. Prospects like 2024 QB Edward Burr II, 2023 WR [player_tooltip player_id='320364' first='Joshua' last='Horton'], 2026 WR Julian Kendrick, and others have helped fuel this hot start. With programs like Kennesaw Mountain, Walton, and North Cobb awaiting on the schedule, things will get tougher for the Cardinals. Still, that means there is an opportunity to make some noise.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Keep an eye out for the Cardinals, as they could develop into one of the feel-good stories of the 2022 season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>Lumpkin County Indians </strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Like Osborne, Lumpkin County is a program long removed from any sort of success. However, first-year head coach Heath Webb has the Indians off to one of their hottest starts in school history. Coach Webb, the former head coach at Gainesville, Winder-Barrow, and North Paulding, brings a plethora of experience to Dahlonega, and so far, it is paying off. The Indians are coming off back-to-back blowout wins against Riverside Military and Union County. They have played dominating defensive football and have run the ball well through two games, which is something that should translate to the rest of the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Under Coach Webb's direction, the Indians are rising as a program and are on pace for one of their best seasons in years. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Gainesville Red Elephants</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gainesville flexed their muscles this off-season when they hired Josh Niblett away from Hoover. In his time as a head coach, Niblett has become one of the most decorated coaches in the country. He will look to replicate some of his success at Gainesville, and he has gotten off to a hot start in his tenure. Gainesville kicked off the season with a statement win against a good Marist team 35-23. After that, they knocked off a talented Mountain View team 30-7. With their hot start, their schedule sets up nicely for the Elephants to finish with a strong regular season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gainesville has been balanced offensively and has come up with huge plays on defense and special teams. Expect the Gainesville program to continue rising and grow into one of the best programs in the state once again.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>Portal Panthers</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A common trend we are seeing here is programs that are historically not great are starting to win again. The Portal Panthers are a perfect example of that. Coach Jason McEachin has the Panthers off to their best start since in years. For comparison, the Panthers went 0-19 in their past two seasons, and have kicked off the 2022 season with a 2-0 start. Junior QB Elijah Coleman has started to blossom into a star as he has rushed for 324 yards and 4 TDs in the first two games.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Like Osborne, Portal could turn into one of the feel-good stories of the year as they are on pace for one of their best seasons in recent history. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->